4 Protestors Arrested After Sat In At HUD Office

4 arrested after sat in at HUD office
By: Ms. Beauty Turner


On a crisp winter day on November 19th a squash yellow school bus pulled up and stopped in front of the STOP Students Organizing People office located on 63 Cottage Grove.
Numerous of residents and Activists from the Grove Parc apartment complex boarded the bus headed to an authorized meeting with Housing of Urban Development Region 5 Director ED Hinberger \and George Gilmore at the HUD office located at 77 West Jackson.
Young women with children wrestle their way upon the bus with umbrella strollers in hand, as well as elderly men and women and teenagers boys and girls,
came out too voices their concerns.
504 families are due to be displaced from the Grove Parc apartments near the University of Chicago Hospital and school after two failed HUD inspections.
“This meeting is suppose to determine if Hinberger is going to help the residents keep their apartments, the last meeting we had he told the residents that he were on their side,” Ebonee Stevenson an organizer with STOP said.
Organizations like STOP, Coalition to Protect Public Housing, Metropolitan Tenants Organization, Grove Parc Residents Tenants Association, Gail Taylor Woodlawn Community Service Corp,Lane Addams Senior Caucus, Illinois ACORN, Lakeview Action Coalition, National People Action, Lake Park East Tenants Association, Washington Scene Tenant Association, Interfaith Open Communities, Northwestern University, National Training& Information Center.
A group of Coalition delegates went upstairs to talk to Hinberger,.when Hinberger reneged on his promise to help the residents they staged a sat in.
“You made us think that you were going to help us,” Stevenson said.
Hinberger announced that the meeting was now over there’s nothing he could do.
“We are not going anywhere;” the rest of the delegate said.
We tried to talk to you all, Hinberger said as George and him walked out of the door. Looking nervous.

After 35 min. seven armed Federal Homeland Security officers accosted
Ebonee Stevenson, Lonnie Richardson, Alex Goldberg, Leah Levinger in hand restrained across the street in front of over 200 protestors to another Federal office building.
Willie JR Fleming with the Hip Hop Congress and Reola Avant with the Lake Park East Tenants Association and STOP member led the protestors in chants
“‘ Housing is a human right, we want go without a fight!” Protestors chanted as the officers whished the arrested protestors away and out of sight.
Activist and residents were holding signs that read: , “ Stop kicking people out of their homes, preserve public housings, holding HUD accountable,
“Anit no power like the power of the people, cause the power of the people want stop!
Chants rung out..
After an hour all four of the arrested protestors surface each one holding a big yellow envelope with a citation letter attached.
Richardson told the protestors Housing is a human right, we want leave without a fight!”
This is so unfair HUD is displacing young mothers with children, the children will be displaced from their schools, This is so unfair!”
Mary George a 37 year resident of Grove Park said.
“They are going to go home and have a nice Thanksgiving while we wonder where will we live!”
“This is not over yet!” Protestors shouted.